Pulling the Strings
by Driftingthought
Summary: No matter what, Slade will always win. Even when dealing with a teenager like Terra who has no control over her powers, Slade still always knows what to do. This is an insight as to what their relationship was like behind the scenes; what caused Terra to actually trust Slade?
1. Desperation

A/N

Came up with this story after reading the Judas Contract in the Teen Titans comics. What was Slade and Terra's relationship in the Teen Titans show? Since it was never elaborated on, here is a story letting readers behind the scenes. Rated T for heavy adult undertones and innuendo. Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or any of their franchises.

* * *

 **Pulling the Strings**

"Slade, please, where are you? I need to talk to you!"

Slade watched from the shadows as Terra passed him by, and he smiled to himself as he heard the desperation in her voice. It was too easy. His first conversation with her had left her confused, and after she'd left the Titans' Tower a day ago, Slade knew it was only a matter of time before she came to him. Only hours before, Terra had reached a breaking point. At thirteen hundred hours, an earthquake with a magnitude of seven had suddenly struck the northern sector of Jump City, felling several buildings and probably killing multiple inhabitants. Again she had lost control, and this time, she had nowhere to go. And when she had no one else to turn to, she would come to him. Now, here she was.

"Slade, please! I need to — "

"Welcome, Terra," Slade said, stepping out of the shadows and startling the girl.

Terra whirled around, her eyes already flashing yellow with panic. Then, seeing Slade, she relaxed, though not before the watchful Slade saw a flash of frustration on her face. Slade couldn't help smiling silently when she sniffed a moment later.

"Slade, I . . . " her voice trailed off, and now her eyes were downcast.

Slade stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, not missing a beat. "What is it, child?"

She looked up at Slade, and he saw fear, panic, and confusion all mixed into one expression of entrapment. He knew he had her, but there was one more thing he had to do to break through her defenses. Slowly, Slade leaned toward her, placing his other hand on her hair. "You can trust me."

Terra's panic melted in that instant, though a bit of confusion still remained. She glanced over her shoulder in hesitation, then back to Slade's masked face. "I . . . need your help," she forced out.

Slade held back a laugh. Why else would she be here? Coming to this place for any other reason was foolish at least and dangerous at most. "I know," he said silkily.

"Will you help me control my powers?" she asked, her voice shaking.

At this, Slade stood up and turned away from her, and his deft ears caught a small gasp of panic. Yes, let her wonder in confusion. Let her fear and consider. "Perhaps," he said.

"Slade, please, I — "

Perfect. Now she was practically begging him for his help. Swallowing a growl of satisfaction, Slade turned back to Terra, composing himself instantly. "Do you swear to do anything I tell you and follow all of my orders without question?"

Terra's lower lip was shaking now. "Y-yes."

"Will you destroy anything — or anyone — that I command you to without hesitation?"

"Yes!" she practically shouted.

Now Slade was smiling broadly. She needed him. "Will you serve me for the rest of your days?"

" _Yes_!"

Slade saw that she was trembling now, hoping with all the power inside her that he wouldn't turn her away as so many others had before him. "All right," he finally said. "I will help you." Master of emotions as Slade was, he was never startled. Rarely did anything ever shock him or catch him off guard. However, at that moment Slade was minutely surprised when Terra suddenly rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly.

Slade lightly rubbed Terra's back as she buried her face into his armor. He allowed a chuckle to escape his lips. In that moment, he owned her.


	2. Training Begins

Terra shook once, then turned away from him, blushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I just — "

"Worry no longer, child," Slade said, placing a hand under her chin and bringing it up to meet his eye. "From now on, I will be your master."

"Thank you," she breathed, embracing him a second time.

Slade continued to rub her back until she stopped shaking, then he gently pushed her away from him. "Follow," he commanded. Slade began to walk away from Terra, and she willingly followed him as they walked deeper into the complex which was now Terra's home. "Now that you are my apprentice," Slade began, "you will learn all of my strength, all of my techniques, and all of my" — here Slade's eye flicked over to Terra's face to see her expression. — "control."

Terra's eyes lit up at the last word. She nodded vigorously and looked up at him with a grin on her face. "When can we start?"

It was amazing how quickly Slade had gotten her to trust him. Though she was barely a teenager, as well as a female, it was laughable how easy this had been. Slade smiled; he'd played his hand perfectly. "Immediately," he said. "You have much to learn."

"Okay!"

Slade's ears caught Terra's grunt of exertion, while out of the corner of his eye, he saw a boulder hurling toward him. Slade blinked in mild surprise. Apparently, she'd taken his words quite literally. That was no matter to him; he never lost. Fluidly dodging underneath the deadly boulder, Slade pulled out his bowstaff and scraped it against the ground, projection a mass of dirt and dust into Terra's face and catching her off guard. She coughed as the dust blocked her vision, and he quickly used his staff to trip her.

"Come now, Terra," Slade said from above her. "Is this the best you can produce?"

Slade noticed that Terra seemed a bit excited now. She grinned once, then her eyes flashed that familiar golden color again.

"Not even close," Terra said.

Slade looked upward as a stalactite broke from the ceiling and fell toward him. Using his staff to gain leverage, Slade dodged sideways. Terra, however, managed to stop the rock before it hit the ground and rotate the point to face him. She threw the stalactite toward him, and right before contact was made, Slade threw his bowstaff at the rock, slicing it in half while simultaneously protecting himself from injury as the two halves of rock passed on either side of him. He heard Terra's grunting from across the room, and looked satisfactorily over at Terra, who had been pinned to the wall by his own staff. "Good, but not perfect," Slade said.

Terra struggled against the bowstaff for a few moments before breaking the rock wall she was pinned against, effectively freeing herself. She threw the shards at Slade, but Slade dodged them with agile grace. However, simply to see how Terra would react, Slade allowed the last stone to strike him. It threw him to the ground, and he lay there, unmoving.

Terra wasn't giving it her all. Not even close. When the rock had struck him, Slade had expected pain, even minutely. But the stone had felt less like an attack and more like an annoyance. A mosquito bite. Was she really that afraid of what she could do?

"Oh, no!" Slade heard Terra shout. "Stupid, stupid! Slade, Slade, are you okay? Slade!"

Slade waited for Terra to get right up next to him before he grabbed her leg and threw her into an opposing wall. He stood up with a sigh of displeasure. "Never trust your enemy, Terra."

Terra fell to her knees, then looked up at Slade. "But . . . " She bit her lip. "You're not my enemy."


	3. You Actually Care?

Slade almost laughed at this. How easily she trusted him! Slade shook his head in amazement, then reworded his previous statement. "Never trust your opponent. Until they are destroyed, keep attacking, even if it seems like victory is already yours."

Terra nodded, and Slade was aware that she was already tiring. The earthquake she'd unleashed hours before had taken a lot out of her. She lifted another boulder with her powers, but Slade clearly saw the boulder shake as her body quivered with fatigue. Right before she continued her attack, Slade put up a hand to stop her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Terra asked, blinking and letting the boulder fall with a crash.

"You are fatigued," Slade said. He saw her blush at these words, as though embarrassed for allowing him to see her in a compromised state. "We will take a respite and resume training later."

"No, Slade!" Terra said, running toward him. "I can still fight; can't we train for just a little bit — "

Slade turned to her. "Obey my orders," he said icily.

Terra froze, and Slade saw a flash of fear in her expression. Then she bowed her head. "Yes, S-Slade," she muttered.

Now she feared him as well. Excellent.

Terra sat down on the ground and rested her arms on her knees. As Slade casually watched her, he saw that she licked her lips once before glancing at the ceiling.

"Are you hungry?" Slade asked.

Terra looked at him in surprise, and Slade reveled in the fact that she was so easy to read. Such an emotional teenager as Terra was, her emotions were almost as obvious as her impressive strength. However, she didn't seem to recognize the strength of her powers, so maybe she neither realized —

"You actually care?" Terra blurted out, blinking once.

Slade's smile came through his words. "Yes, child. I do."

Terra blushed deeply at Slade's comment. Then she got up and shrugged. "Eating would be nice," she said.

Slade nodded curtly. "Follow me," he said.

Terra fell into step beside him, saying nothing. The pair walked into the dining room and Slade left her side, returning with two platefuls of food. He gave both trays to her; as his apprentice she had to eat well. Not only that, but when he'd tossed her against the wall in their previous training session, she'd weighed practically nothing.

"For me?" she asked.

Slade nodded.

With a grin, Terra took both platefuls of food and devoured them instantly. Seeing she was still hungry, Slade retrieved four more trays of food and gave them to Terra. Apparently, prepubescent females required more food than he'd previously believed. Once puberty arrived, she would require even more food.

As Terra began her sixth plate of food, she glanced up at Slade and paused.

"Am I eating too much?" she asked.

"If this is what you require, then it is what you will receive."

Terra beamed up at him and finished her meal. "That was delicious!" she said, rubbing her nonexistent stomach. "Thank you."

Slade blinked once. To him, food was just that. Sustenance that allowed him to continue training, fighting, or simply existing. He had never considered the taste of the food he consumed, and to hear that it actually tasted good surprised him. "Now that you are finished, I will show you to your room."


	4. Other Factors

"Wow, I get a room?!" Terra jumped up in an instant. Her excitement might've been contagious, if she hadn't been facing a man who only felt excitement while either killing or in the midst of battle. Slade, ever-composed, simply nodded.

Now that she was fed, Slade found that she was much more vocal than before. She swung her arms by her sides in a carefree manner as the pair walked toward her room. Terra acted like a girl who was at a carnival with a best friend, not as one who was now walking beside one of the deadliest villains in history.

" . . . usually just sleep in a cave," Terra continued. "Oh, yeah, and there was this one time when I woke up in the middle of the night and found a badger next to me! It was pretty scary, but I managed to get out without getting hurt or hurting the badger, either. And then there was this other time that — "

"Here is your room," Slade said.

Once the door to her room opened, Terra gasped in surprise and ran inside like a child on Christmas. "Wow! I get a bed? And pajamas? And a dresser with a mirror?!"

Slade watched her, finding her reaction almost amusing. Here he'd given her the bare essentials, and she was treating it as though she'd just walked into a five-star hotel.

"This is _way_ better than any old cave," Terra said, grinning up at him. When she sat down on the bed, she gave a small squeak as she sunk into the mattress.

"If you need anything, my room is at the end of the hall," Slade said. "There is a bathroom directly opposite your room. If you require any medical attention or supplies, I will obtain them for you. Is that clear?"

Terra nodded, and Slade was about to leave when Terra rushed over to him. Slade, understanding instantly, allowed her to embrace him again. However, more aware of Terra's emotional state this time than he was before, he felt that she was still holding back ever so slightly. Slade was a man who would not accept anything less than everything. Terra would trust him. She would fear him and willingly obey him completely. But before he could do either of the latter, Slade knew he had to gain her trust. He knew what was necessary.

Wrapping his arms around her, Slade embraced Terra back, being careful not to allow his strong arms to injure her delicate frame. Slade heard her gasp, and when he released her moments later, he was amused when he saw her expression.

Slade, satisfied, turned to leave. "Rest now, child."

"Goodnight," Terra called out.

Slade left without another word, walking away from his new apprentice and allowing her time alone with her emotions. And what emotions did she have. Treatment such as this was so foreign to her that she didn't know how to respond. Considering her reactions as of late, elevated endorphins were probably the cause. However, it was possible that other factors could be at work as well. But that neither bothered nor concerned him. In fact, perhaps it was something he could use against her.


	5. Control What Is Yours

The next day, Slade entered the training room half an hour before his session with Terra in order to practice sparring. He paused when he found Terra sitting in the middle of the room, idly balancing a small stone on her nose. When she saw Slade, Terra leapt to her feet with excitement.

"Can we start training?" she asked.

She was so eager to get better, Slade mused. So eager to please him. Not one to disappoint when it directly benefited him, Slade nodded. "We will begin immediately."

Terra let out a shout of joy as she punched her fist into the air. Right away, she took a fighting stance, unable to hide a grin of pure joy. "Check this out, Slade. All last night, I've been practicing this new technique!" She glanced his way. "Are you ready to see?"

It was as though she were waiting for either his approval or his blessing. Slade, hardly one to give either, merely nodded.

With a shout, Terra slammed a hand into the ground before retracting it. Then she stood up, her grin even wider.

Slade, however, felt no change. No earthquake or boulders were hurling his way. Did she actually do anything, or was this move that she'd been "practicing" a complete fail?

Suddenly, from where Terra's hand struck, a fissure sprung. Slade dodged out of the way, mildly impressed that she was able to contain the fissure to their training room only. She was progressing faster than he'd excepted. He glanced over at Terra to see her looking his way, watching him.

" . . . was it good?" she asked, digging the toe of her boot into the ground.

Slade considered. After a moment, he answered. "Fairly."

Terra's eyes beamed, and she jumped a clear three feet into the air. Just as she was letting out a laugh, however, the ground began to shake. The earthquake wasn't dangerous by any means, but Slade still braced himself just in case. Slade easily held his ground; Terra, meanwhile, let out a scream and fell down.

Terra gripped her head as the earthquake began getting stronger. "No, not now," she moaned. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore!"

Slade, knowing the potentially dangerous situation both he and his apprentice were in, was at Terra's side in an instant. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Calm yourself," he commanded.

"I can't," Terra whispered.

The ground gave a violent shake, throwing Terra to her face and forcing Slade to widen his stance even further. This time, he grabbed both her shoulders and forced her to look at him. Terra looked up at him, her expression panicked.

"Child, I believe that you have the power to control what is yours," Slade said.

Terra blinked twice, nodded, then took a deep breath. After several seconds, the earthquake stilled completely.

Slade nodded. "Now that the earthquake is — "

Abruptly, Terra threw herself against him, forcing the man one step backward. The accidental earthquake had placed her under so much stress that she could barely stand, and Slade had to literally hold her up to prevent her from collapsing to the floor.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"I am your master," Slade said simply, patting her head. "I will protect you from your powers."

Terra looked up at Slade, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to say something, but Slade pushed her away from him before she had a chance.


	6. Is There Something You Require?

"Training will resume at seventeen hundred hours. For now, you are dismissed."

"Really?" Terra asked, her voice falling. "Can't we just — "

"Are you questioning my authority?" Slade asked, his voice becoming quiet.

Fear flashed in Terra's eyes for a moment, and Slade held back a smile.

"N-no, I just . . . was it because I lost control?"

"My daily training regimen would be too much for you," Slade said. "Until you are more adept, we will not train together."

Terra's face fell. "What am I supposed to do until then?"  
"It is of no consequence to me." Slade turned away from her and began his regimen. He practiced punches, kicks, and multiple flips before he looked and saw that Terra was still in the room, watching him. "You are dismissed."

Terra blinked, then shook her head. Blushing a bit, she raced from the room while Slade continued his training regimen. As he trained, he noticed that Terra passed by the room. This didn't bother him, as he knew that the shower was to the right of the training room while her own bedroom was to the left. However, when she did this four more times, even pausing for a moment on the last pass before continuing on, Slade suppressed a laugh. He knew what she was doing. As Terra passed by the training room for the sixth time, Slade faced her. "Child, is there something you require?"

Terra blushed as though caught in the middle of stealing something. "N-no."

Slade's eye narrowed, and he stepped toward her. "Really?"

Terra took a step backward. "Y-yes."

Slade leaned toward her, his single eye bright. "Are you certain?"

In an instant, Terra ran. After watching her disappear into her bedroom, Slade chuckled and returned to his training. She would make a _very_ good apprentice. Of that, he was sure.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by, and Slade and Terra were again in the training room. Under Slade's watchful eye and harsh training, Terra had progressed quickly. Only yesterday, she had managed to go the entire day without losing control of her powers even once.

"I learned another technique, Slade," Terra said, her eyes shining. "Do you wanna see it?"

Another day, another impressive technique. Slade knew quite well why she did this, but he still found it amusing, even after such a long time. He nodded.

Terra bent down and placed both hands on the ground. Her eyes turned yellow, and with a harsh cry, she sent a wave of yellow energy through the entire room. Slade braced himself for the attack.

"It took a while, but I finally got the technique down," Terra said. "I practiced this in the shower. And in my bedroom."

She sounded so proud of herself, and after a few moments, Slade realized why. The rock floor underneath his feet was slowly liquefying. Quicksand.

Terra, breaking a rock from the wall next to her, used this boulder to lift herself above the attack. She watched Slade for a few moments, and Slade saw that she looked slightly panicked when he didn't move. Slade began sinking into the quicksand, but this bothered him little. His armored suit was not used just for weight training and stopping attacks. It was outfitted with almost every gadget thinkable to escape from any attack. This was no exception.

Pressing a button on his legs, Slade felt the soles of his boots shoot out a blast of air, successfully displacing him from the quicksand. Accessing another suit ability, Slade caused his boots to shoot out a continuous blast of air, allowing him to literally to run on top of the quicksand. He jumped up to meet the startled Terra, knocking her from her perch atop the boulder. She fell into the quicksand and dragged herself out of the muck, using her powers to simultaneously clean herself off while shooting blasts of quicksand at Slade. Slade dodged in a fluid, continuous motion, unable to stop moving completely lest he risk sinking into the liquid ground.


	7. Yield Not

Dodging all of Terra's attacks, Slade kicked her in the stomach, slamming her into an opposing wall. After falling into the quicksand, Terra rose up on a tidal wave, her eyes yellow with determination. Slade could see the dangerous situation approaching him, so he took out his bowstaff for good measure. If he managed to fall and become trapped under the surface, there was a chance that he might not survive. Granted, Terra with her powers could save him, but, naïve as she was, it was possible that she wouldn't realize the danger until it was too late.

Speeding up, Slade jumped through the center of the tidal wave where it was weakest and landed on the other side just as Terra's wave crashed over the room. Leaping toward the far wall before the surface tension was broken by waves and ripples, Slade stuck his bowstaff into the wall, swinging up and perching on the staff to avoid the treacherous, choppy quicksand below. Just as Terra was turning around, Slade threw a bomb that detonated beside her and threw her to the quicksand. Terra rose and, now fully facing Slade, reverted the earth back to its normal state. Slade placed his feet back on solid ground, pulled his bowstaff from the wall, and looked at Terra. "Do you yield?" he asked.

"No," Terra said, panting. Pulling a large boulder from the wall, she threw it at Slade. He dodged as she did this four more times, then he rushed her and pinned her to the wall one hand while the other hand held a bowstaff to her throat.

"Do you yield?" Slade asked a second time.

Terra was panting heavily now. Her face was flushed, but Slade couldn't tell if this was from overexertion or other matters.

"Y-yes," Terra finally panted out.

Instantly, Slade struck her on the face. She fell to the ground with a cry, then looked up at him, mortally wounded. Slade didn't blink. " _Never_ yield to an opponent," he said.

Terra choked once and looked at her knees, blinking hard. "I'm s-sorry, Slade," she muttered. "I'm just so exhausted."

Seeing her distraught condition, Slade realized that he had gone too far. The emotional girl was still too fragile. For now at least, he had to refrain from being rough with her. He softened his mannerisms as he approached her. "My blow was harsher than I intended. On the contrary, I _do_ care for you, Apprentice."

Terra looked up at him, blushing again. "T-thank you."

Slade nodded, then without a word or hint of warning, reached down and picked Terra up in his arms. She gave a small squeal, and Slade felt the ground tremble underneath him for a moment before stilling.

"S-Slade," she breathed.

Slade said nothing as he carried her out of the training room. She didn't know what to do with her arms, so she eventually settled them on his chest along with her face, which was flushed with embarrassment. He felt her fast heartbeat and heard her rapid breathing.

Slade was no fool. For the last two weeks, she had been his apprentice. During this time, he had noted her every move. He saw the way she beamed after he gave her a rare compliment. Covert glances in his direction when she thought he wouldn't notice were not overlooked by his watchful gaze. After training, her eyes sometimes followed him as he went about his daily business. She tailed him like a loyal dog and walked around with pitifully obviousness about it all. Now, he felt her trembling. It was unmistakable. It was such easy bait.

Any weakness, Slade would use and exploit. And there was none better than Terra's.

Slade set her down in the dining room, ignoring her expression as he left her side and returned with several trays of food. Terra took the food and ate in without speaking, and Slade reveled in the silence. All Slade had to do was push her a little bit more. After she completely trusted him, he could focus on breaking her. Once broken, Slade could mold her to be exactly what he wanted. She was already his pet, and soon she would be his thrall.


	8. Cat and Mouse

"Slade?" Terra asked.

Slade casually laid a hand over hers. "Yes?" The amount of control he had over her was stunning. At this rate, Slade knew she would never leave him. Even if she considered it, steps were being taken to prevent her from leaving. A neural-interface suit was in the process of being created. Not only that, but another . . . factor complicated matters of her running away. Slade was quite aware of what the Titans would say, of what they would do, if they found out that she enjoyed his company more than a normal apprentice should. She could never return to them; she was his, and his alone.

Terra slipped her hand out of his. "Are we going to train again?"

"Training will resume at seventeen hundred hours," Slade said. He saw Terra's face fall ever so slightly. "Would you like to assist me in planning the break-in of Wayne Enterprises?" The words were hardly out of Slade's mouth before Terra answered.

"Yes."

Slade motioned for Terra to follow him. Within minutes, the two were in Slade's control room. Slade accessed the blueprints of the building and, turning and seeing Terra standing off in the shadows, motioned for her to come closer. "Now, Apprentice, considering the locations of the guards in red, where would you say would be a possible entrance point into the building?"

Terra focused all her attention on the blueprint in front of her, and she was unaware that Slade was drawing closer to her side. "I think . . . here." She turned to Slade, gasping in surprise when she saw him so near her. She quickly looked away and back to the blueprint, pointing a shaking finger again to the screen.

"Good, but not perfect," Slade said. It didn't surprise him. Terra was very skilled with her powers, and it made sense to assume that she was also quite intelligent. In fact, there was only one place better to break into from. "Look here," Slade said, purposely leaning over her and directing her attention to another vent in the system. "The place you chose has several guards stationed ten feet closer than this vent. It is also one hundred yards closer to our destination. Do you see, Apprentice, why this is the best place to choose?"

Terra swallowed and nodded, and Slade placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to tense.

"And when you approach the building, what is the best direction to approach from?"

Terra blinked. "Um, underground?"

Slade nodded. "That is correct."

Terra smiled hesitantly. "What about for you?" she asked.

"What would you have me do?" Slade asked.

Terra frowned. "Well, you'd probably . . . be awesome," she muttered. Then she blushed deeply, shook her head, and attempted to retract her previous statement. "I-I mean . . . you'd stay in the shadows, and, um, take out any security cameras before they saw you, avoid all the guards, and scale the building to get to where you wanted to go. Yeah."

"Perfect," Slade purred.

Terra looked away, her eyes wide. Then she coughed once. "What are you stealing?" she finally asked.

"A blaster," Slade said. His words were an outright lie, but he knew Terra wouldn't catch on. In reality, the object of his desire was an essential part of her neural-interface suit. However, there was no reason for her to know that.

"Cool," Terra said. "Does it blow things up or vaporize them?"

"Both," Slade said.

Terra looked at her shoulder where Slade's hand rested, and she gingerly escaped from his grip. "Can we start training now?"


	9. Was It Good?

Slade, not to be deterred, returned his hand to her shoulder. "Would that please you?"

Terra nodded.

"All right." Slade led the way out of the control room, making sure to shut off and lock the system before leaving. He didn't think Terra one to snoop around behind his back, but he didn't want to chance her wandering into his control room when she was bored.

Now in the training room, Terra's eyes glowed yellow as she lifted a rock and aimed it at Slade. Slade, however, held up a hand to stop her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Terra asked, letting the boulder fall.

"For now, you will refrain from using your powers," Slade said.

Terra blinked in confusion. "How am I supposed to fight?"

"In this session, we will work on your hand-to-hand combat skills," Slade said.

Terra's face flushed at this. "Hand-to-hand?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Does this bother you?" Slade asked.

Terra looked at him, looked away, then shook her head.

"Then we will begin." Giving no warning, Slade rushed her to attack. His first hit was a direct contact with her stomach, and she was thrown backward with a cry. Struggling to her feet, Terra resumed her stance before Slade rushed again, sweeping her legs and causing her to fall again. "Fight back, Apprentice," Slade commanded.

Nodding and trying not to wince in pain, Terra rushed Slade with a cry and tried to hit him with a punch. Her technique was pathetic to say the least, and Slade dodged the attack in laziness, grabbing her arm and throwing her head-over-heels into the floor. Shaking his head, Slade allowed Terra to get to her feet before he approached her. Terra tensed up, ready for another attack, but Slade quickly slipped behind her, grabbing both her arms. "Your technique is wrong," Slade said. Even though his gloved hands, Slade could feel the intensifying heat on her arms. "Widen your stance, and hold your arms higher. Be stable on your feet, and quick with your blows."

"O-okay," Terra said.

Leaving her side, Slade resumed his attack, noting with satisfaction that when he struck her next, she managed to keep her footing and not fall down. When Terra raced toward him, Slade back flipped out of the way.

"I can do that, too!" Terra said. In an instant, she back flipped as well, but Slade noted that she didn't get as much air during her handspring as he would've liked. "Was it good?" she asked after doing three more backflips.

"It will get better," Slade said.

Terra, who took anything Slade said as a compliment, pumped her fist in the air. Then she rushed him again, this time trying to land a kick to his side.

Slade blocked the kick, instantly locating a weak point and sweeping under her remaining leg. "Never allow yourself to be caught off guard," he reprimanded.

Terra nodded and got to her feet. She rushed Slade again, but this time he pushed her backwards and pinned her against a wall by her wrists. He held her against the wall for several seconds, while her face steadily became more and more pink.

"Break free," Slade said.

Realizing that she couldn't pull her arms free, Terra attempted to pull her legs in and kick Slade away. Once he saw this motion being performed however, Slade stepped on both of her feet with his own, effectively trapping her.

"Break free," Slade said again, leaning toward her.

Her face was now quite red. Slade wondered if she would yield, but out of nowhere a rock hit him in the stomach and forced him two steps backward. He was about to reprimand Terra when he saw that she had placed her hands on her knees, panting as though thoroughly exhausted.


	10. New Clothes

"S-sorry, Slade," Terra panted. "I just . . . "

Slade didn't blink. "Do not use your powers again."

Terra nodded and took another fighting stance. Slade rushed her, and the pair continued their fight. Their training lasted another hour until Terra collapsed in complete exhaustion.

Slade relaxed his stance, not even having broken a sweat during their training. All things considered, she had lasted longer than he'd expected. Her hand-to-hand combat techniques were poor, but she would learn.

"Slade," Terra said, "I think I need new clothes."  
Slade glanced over at his apprentice. Until she'd pointed it out, he hadn't even noticed that her clothes had steadily become torn to shreds due to all their training. He nodded. "During your next shower, leave your clothes outside. I will copy them and return them to you."

"Whoa, you can do that?" Terra asked.

Slade, finding that no response was needed, walked out of the room. Terra followed him.

"I'll take a shower now, then," Terra said.

Slade said nothing, but once Terra disappeared and he heard the shower running, he retrieved her clothes from outside the bathroom. Due to Slade's own intense training, several months back he'd made a machine which allowed him to copy any fabric placed inside. The machine took color, texture, and even original size and shape into account. That way, he didn't have to bother with clothes in general and could simply focus his attention on more important things.

Placing Terra's clothing into the machine, an exact replica was produced, though slight modifications were made. On Terra's shirt now rested Slade's own emblem, signifying his ownership of her. Satisfied with the results of the cloning, Slade returned her clothes to the hallway outside the bathroom, discarding her other, ragged clothes.

Half an hour later, Slade heard a squeal from the bathroom as Terra bounded out, her eyes wide. He was vaguely aware that Terra's clothes were tighter on her than before; that was simply due to the machine's taking the stretching ability of certain types of clothing into account. He was also satisfied to see his emblem across her chest. He owned her.

"Wow, Slade, I love it!" Terra said, hugging herself and jumping once into the air.

Slade turned back to his laptop which he worked on, already halfway through hacking into a government security system.

" So . . . do you like it?" Terra asked.

Slade didn't have to glance her way to know what she was hinting at. "It suits you."

Terra laughed once, then quickly left the room. When she returned in her pajamas a few minutes later, Slade couldn't help a small smile. Hardly seeming to realize it herself, Terra stretched and sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder but not saying anything.

Slade hardly paid her any attention as he continued his work, but when her breathing meter changed, Slade glanced over and was amused to find that she had fallen asleep. After successfully accessing the system, Slade shut his laptop, picked Terra up, and carried her to her bedroom. Soon after, Slade retired to his own room, laughing to himself as he laid down on his own bed. She was his apprentice. His _willing_ apprentice.


	11. Injury

Hardly had the scream registered in Slade's ears before he leapt to his feet and raced out of his room into the hallway. He recognized Terra's voice coming from her bedroom, and he felt the familiar shake of the ground signify that this situation could become dangerous if he didn't react fast. Within moments, Slade was in front of Terra's bedroom, but when he tried to open the door to investigate what was the matter, he was surprised to find that access to the inside of her room was blocked by a large rock.

Slade, not saying anything yet, placed an ear to the rock. Somewhere within the room sat Terra, and he could distinctly hear her rapid breathing and obvious sniffs. The ground shook again, and Slade knew he had to act. "Terra, what's the matter?" Slade asked. He heard her gasp, then bite back a cry.

"D-don't come in," Terra whispered.

Slade, now more curious than anything, tried to see around the boulder she'd erected while weighing his options. It was possible that he could break the rock and enter the room by force, but there was a possibility that he might trigger more of her powers accidentally. Knowing that breaking in was only a last resort, Slade turned to his own wits. "What is the matter, child?"

"Noth . . . don't come in!"

"Are you injured?" Slade asked.

Terra said nothing to this, and now Slade felt sure that she had somehow injured herself during the night. To Slade, it made sense. He'd passed by her bedroom before and heard her whimpering. It was possible that during a nightmare, her powers might have surfaced and caused an injury; there was also the possibility that such an injury could reoccur. If that was the case, he'd either have to monitor her during sleep or somehow control what dreams she had. But first, Slade knew he had to gain access to Terra's room and assess the situation.

"Unblock your door," Slade said, his voice becoming gentler with every word. When this elicited no response, Slade knew what he could say that would. "I want to help you."

"Slade, I . . . " Terra began, her voice tight. "Why — I don't . . . " Then she gasped once.

Slade blinked once, almost able to feel her rapid heartbeat and state of high anxiety. Leaning closer to the room, Slade's voice dropped to a soothing whisper. "Allow me to help you, child. I will soothe your fears." Slade stood there for a few moments as he allowed his words to sink in. Suddenly, the boulder Terra had erected withdrew into the floor, and Slade was granted access into the room. He stepped inside.

One look told Slade practically everything he needed to know. The uneven, jagged floor and broken dresser informed him that something had happened to Terra to cause her deep distress. After noting the damage, his gaze fell on Terra's bed where a small Terra sat. Glancing down at her, Slade was surprised to see that she had managed to encase her entire body, from the neck down, in rocks so that it looked as though she wore stone armor. Slade stepped forward, watching her carefully. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.

Terra, who had been trembling this entire time, suddenly looked up at him, eyes wide with what seemed to be panic. Then her jaw gave a small twitch as she looked away. "No," she muttered. "It was about . . . my parents."

Slade's single eye narrowed. He was quite aware of what she had done, but he decided to overlook it just this once, considering the situation. "You've caused quite a commotion," he said casually. "Are you injured?"

For some reason, Terra now refused look at him. This only furthered his belief that she had, indeed, injured herself. Her lack of response was, however, unnatural. Though this was of no importance to Slade, he vaguely wondered why she was acting this way. An injury was just that: an injury. Any injuries needed to be promptly taken care of to avoid any complications.

Suddenly, Terra's body gave a violent spasm as though she were in dire pain. She instinctively glanced up at him, and Slade noticed a look of pure terror on her face. How badly had she injured herself? Until Slade could assess her state, he wouldn't know if it was simply her overreaction or something that could become lethal. Remaining as calm as she was agitated, Slade walked over to Terra and laid a hand on her head. "There, there, child. I will keep you safe."

Terra sniffed once, then nodded.

"Will you present your injury?"

Terra paused for a moment, then nodded again. Still refusing to meet his eyes, she looked over at a wall as she stood up. Then she, now looking down at the ground, let her rock armor fall. Slade barely had to glance at her before he saw the injury she possessed. Nodding, Slade left the room, walked over to the medical supply closet and obtained both a book and the medical supplies she needed, then returned and gave these both to her. Just as he was about to leave her room, she raced over and grabbed his hand.

"Wait . . . S-Slade, am I going to die?" she whispered.

Slade had to hold back a laugh of distain. How foolish she was. He turned and placed a comforting hand on her face. "Fear not, child. You will live." He noted her look of relief just as he closed her door, and he returned to his own bedroom soon after. Laying back down on his bed, Slade stretched once and closed his eye. A single thought flashed through his mind before sleep overtook him. Now she would require seven trays of food.


	12. Close Call

The next morning, Slade rose early to train by himself. Just as he was exiting his room, however, he heard footsteps down the hall signifying that a certain young girl was awake and out of her room as well. He walked all the way to the training room before turning and spotting her behind him. When Terra saw that he was looking his way, she paused, blushed, looked over her shoulder, then coughed once and hesitantly approached him. Slade noticed that she looked paler than usual.

"So, when are we going to train?" Terra asked.

Slade turned away from her. "Training will be postponed for several days due to your recent injury." Not even a fool could've missed the disappointment in her voice.

"Oh," she said. "Okay."

"However, I will allow you to perform light stretching in the training room while I perform my regimen," Slade said.

"Really?" Terra looked as though she'd just received word that her powers were of no danger to others any more. "For real?!"

Slade held back a smile. She'd been watching him for the past two weeks anyway. It was hard to ignore the small holes Terra had made in the walls of the training room at eye level. He cared little if she saw his training regimen, but it was still quite amusing nonetheless. "Follow."

Terra bounded into the training room and sat down on the floor, her eyes glowing with excitement. Then, realizing how she must've looked, she blushed, got up, and began stretching.

Slade walked over to a control panel hidden next to the door of the room. After shutting the door, he walked over to Terra and, using his bowstaff, marked a circle around her. "Do not exit out of this circle," he said. "If you remain there, the attacks will not hurt you."

Terra nodded with a grin.

Satisfied, Slade stood in the center of the room, glancing once more at Terra before speaking to the computer. "Begin training regimen. Level eight."

Instantly, four blasters appeared on his left and he dodged the blasts, rolling to his feet and flipping away from a large circular saw that swung down from the ceiling.

Slade heard Terra shout in amazement behind him, but it barely registered with him as he continued dodging the various attacks that were thrown at him. Fire on the left, blasters on the right, and fake floors beneath him which gave way to dangerous spike pits required all his concentration. Each time he dodged out of a deadly situation, he heard Terra's cheering and clapping behind him.

If Slade had been one to enjoy praise, Terra's shouts of awe and excited squeals might've touched something within him. He, however, was not. Being above the praise and adoration of others allowed him complete and utter focus in any and all situations. Though Terra complimented him several times, such things had no effect on him. To him, compliments were about as stimulating to him as was watching an ant march by his feet.

Finally, Slade relaxed. He stood up and let out a single breath.

"Wow!" Terra shouted, stepping forward with her mouth open in awe. "Slade, that was super amazin — "

" _Stop_!" Slade shouted. But it was too late. The instant her foot left the circle Slade drew for her, she stepped on an invisible trip wire that sent three razors shooting toward her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and in an instant, Slade was in front of her. He put his hands in front of his chest and deflected the razors, but one of the deflected attacks hit a panel in one corner of the room. Slade's eye widened as he realized what the panel did. Seeing every floor square of the room except one light up briefly, Slade knew he had only seconds. Grabbing Terra around the waist, he leaped into the only safe square in the room; a corner on the other side of the room. Pressing Terra into the wall, Slade himself barely had time to protect her using his own body before the trap went off and the entire room, save their own small square, lit up in flames.

The only thing louder than the roar of flames directly behind him was Terra's scream. Though Slade knew he could take both the flames themselves and the suffocating heat due to having trained in this situation hundreds of times before, Slade could see Terra crumbling. She couldn't take the heat. She could barely breathe.


	13. Rising Emotions

Accessing an override panel just above Terra's head, Slade forced the program to shut down while simultaneously accessing an emergency water system. Moments later, the flames ceased only to be replaced with a large flood of water that drenched he and Terra both. As the water drained off, Terra fell to her knees, coughing and shivering. Slade rose in a fury, irate that she had disobeyed him and stepped outside the circle he'd told her not to leave. But when she looked up at him seconds later and he saw the terror in her eyes, Slade paused.

"Y-you saved me," she whispered.

Her face was still wet despite the fact that the water was long gone. Slade looked back at where she'd previously stood, then turned to her. "Never disobey me again."

Terra nodded, still shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry; I'm so stupid. I'll never do that again." She wrapped her arms around her knees. "That was so scary." She looked up at Slade, her eyes shining. "But you saved me. _Thank you_."

Slade said nothing, and when Terra struggled to her feet, he didn't assist her. "Are you injured?" he asked.

Terra tested out each one of her limbs, then looked at him and grinned. "No, I'm fine thanks to you."

Slade nodded. "My regimen is complete. If you require food, there is extra for you in the dining room." He began to leave, but felt Terra run up to him and grab him by the arm.

"What are you going to do?" Terra asked.

Slade pulled his arm free. "I am going to work."

"Oh," Terra said. "O-okay."

Slade didn't have to think very hard to know what was on her mind. He turned around and touched the side of her face. "On the contrary, child. You are a good apprentice. For now, you will rest; you've had a shock."

Terra blushed and nodded. Standing up, Slade left her and walked into his control room. Accessing the government security system he'd previously hacked, Slade began to pour over the files, noting every defense system's weakness and every security camera's blind spot. He was halfway through the file when he stood up. "Do you need something, child?"

Behind him, Terra squeaked and ran out of the room. Slade chuckled in his throat. No one could catch him off guard, especially a girl such as Terra.

As Slade turned back to the file, he was aware of Terra's return in the shadows by the door. Slade ignored her as he continued his work, though he did find it mildly amusing whenever she did this. She probably didn't even realize that these occurrences were becoming more and more common as the days went by.

Just as he finished looking through the government file, Slade put his arms above him and stretched. Terra's small reactive gasp behind him did not escape his deft hearing. He shook his head, and ,without a look back at where he knew Terra was hiding, Slade left the room. Small footfalls behind Slade told him that Terra was following him.

As he walked toward another room in the building, Slade considered. He could always give her a job to do or order her to lightly train while he worked. However, Slade had grown used to, even a bit fond of, this game. When he'd originally chosen Terra as an apprentice, it was because he knew he could exploit all of her weaknesses. He hadn't, however, counted upon her forming a weakness of her own. It was such a glaring weakness, and Slade himself was mildly surprised that she didn't see that. She was either too young or too foolish to understand the dangerous situation she was in.

And he could exploit them both.


	14. The End of It All

Several hours later, Slade sat at his laptop, going over the Wayne Enterprises blueprints once final time as he planned the break-in of the compound that night. Though it was quite late, Slade was aware that Terra had entered the room and sat down next to him. Normally, he wouldn't have given her presence a second thought, but now, for some reason, she seemed to be very uncomfortable. She continually fidgeted in her spot, and he was aware that her breathing was

much faster than normal. Slade glanced over at her, and when she saw him looking her way, she blushed deeper than he'd ever seen before.

"Slade, I . . . "

Suppressing a sigh, Slade closed his laptop and turned to look at her fully. "What is it, child?" Though Terra said nothing for a few moments, her body language spoke volumes above her silence. Slade calculatingly noted her every move as understanding dawned on him.

After inhaling once, Terra turned away from Slade, intent on talking to the wall away from him and refusing to even look in his direction. Slade waited, somehow already knowing both her response and her reaction. "I just . . . thank you. No one's ever accepted me," she muttered, now looking at her lap and her clenched hands. "No one's ever accepted me for who I am. You're the first one to." She glanced his way then back to her lap, her hands shaking. "You actually care," she said, looking directly at him.

Slade looked back at her, raising an eyebrow and holding back a smile as her eyes burned into his. Was she really . . .

At that moment, several things happened, but Slade, knowing all, reacted faster. Reaching up, he pressed a finger to Terra's lips, stilling the child. Instantly, Terra's eyes opened.

He knew her intentions; they were written all over her face. She, however, was so blinded by her own emotions that she couldn't, or possibly refused, to see what was so obviously in front of her. "Perhaps in a few years, child," Slade mused, gently touching the side of her face, "but for now, the time for rest is long past."

Terra blushed and sat up, then made a move to stand and leave. Suddenly, she threw herself against him, embracing him tightly and pressing her face into his shoulder. Slade ran a hand down her back in comfort. The two remained like that for several moments, and Slade was then aware that she had pulled away from him slightly. Their gazes connected, and he saw the change within her.

" _Thank you_ ," she whispered. In that instant, Terra closed her eyes and leaned forward.

This, Slade allowed. If he thought about it, there was a good chance that he would obtain more satisfaction and pleasure by choking Terra to death than by displaying any sort of physical affection towards her. But it wasn't the act or effect that was important to Slade. What mattered to him was the result, because now, the first stage of his plan was finished.

And when she pulled away from him and he saw the vulnerability in her eyes, Slade knew he had her completely. Moments later, Terra got up and fled the room. Slade, his single eye now glowing, sat back in his seat and laughed outrightly. He wondered if she'd even realized how much the ground had shaken.

As of now, there was nothing more that he needed to do. Now that he had her complete trust and willingness to obey, he could begin the task of having her submit to him. Though the first stage of his plan with Terra hadn't played out quite as he'd expected, the results had turned out much better than he could've imagined.

Terra had made it so easy for him to dominate and control her. She was his servant and his toy. Though she might've believed differently, whatever else she thought herself to be to him was merely her own wild imagination. She would live and she would die for him. After all, she was nothing more than his apprentice.

And he was nothing less than her master.

ﮛThe Endﮛ

* * *

 **A/N: Explanation.**

I pulled out all the stops on this one. As my first ever pseudo-romance story (notice I said _pseudo_ , more on that later) I knew I had to make this story both subtle and believable. Portray Slade as cold, cruel, brilliant, but in a classy, tasteful way.

First, I will cover any questions that any passing reader might have regarding several scenes in the story (before I cover the final scene between Slade and Terra).

The " . . . possible that other factors could be at work as well. But that neither bothered nor concerned him. In fact, perhaps it was something he could use against her," scene was, in fact, Terra's own growing affections for Slade. It wasn't her puberty (as some people may have assumed) but her growing confused emotional state (of do I want a father, or a lover?) that caused this incisiveness. Slade sees this, and knows that he can use it to his advantage.

During the scene where Terra passed by the training room multiple times and Slade asked, "Child, is there something you require?" Terra wasn't actually looking for anything. She was just wanting to watch Slade train because she thought it was fascinating to watch and she thought that he looked cool.

During the entire scene where Terra wakes up screaming was when Terra realized that she was going through puberty. Though she thought she was bleeding to death, she was not. Side Note: during the scene when Slade asks Terra if she had a nightmare, and Terra's jaw gives a small twitch before she looks away and responds negatively . . . she was lying to Slade. She was lying because there's a good chance that she'd actually been dreaming about _him_ before she woke up and freaked out. Of course, she'd never tell Slade that, but Slade would never tell her that he'd caught on.

Other scenes, (such as when she blushes when Slade tells her to break free, her blushing after Slade tells her that they will battle using hand-to-hand combat, and Terra's own showing Slade the copy of her clothes before changing into her pajamas) were all her childish ways of demonstrating her affections toward Slade. However, due to Terra being young and barely in puberty, she confuses love with parental affections and guidance, the thought of just wanting someone to care could be confused with wanting someone to love.

And finally . . . the ending scene. I originally wrote a very shortened version of this ending, then decided to expand it after one of my sisters read it and didn't know what I was getting at. So I expanded it to explain it better, and though it's still hard to understand, I will explain it fully now.

Slade has been playing with Terra's emotions the entire story. That's obvious, and he also has an idea of her not-so-subtle intentions are. But here's the thing: Terra never really liked Slade. If she did, it was just her confused emotions mistaking romantic love for parental affection and someone to care about her. (Because if you remember, her awestruck expressions when Slade states multiple times that he cares for her simply blows her away. Terra's never had someone who cares for her and accepts her fully, lack of control over her powers and all.) Slade sees this, and (using both confusing emotions against her since he doesn't yet have her neural suit in hand) allows her to figure it out by herself. But when it goes too far, he stops her, because while Slade himself knows that he's never been attracted to Terra, Terra doesn't know that this is how she herself feels until she's put into the position of finding out what her emotions really mean. What was so "obviously in front of her" was NOT the fact that there is a large age gap and it could be construed as something else. It's that Slade was never interested, and he also knows that she's not really interested, either. At the end of the story, she sees this.

"Perhaps in a few years, child," Slade said . . .

Now this is the one line that gave me the most confusion. Slade is not saying that, sometime in the future, when Terra's older, they can start a family together. That was NOT what Slade meant. What he meant was, verbatim: "you can stay with me a few more years. You can figure out what your 'romantic' emotions really mean. You can figure out that you only want me as a father figure. But by the time you figure out that I'm not the man you thought I was, it will be too late and you'll be unable to leave."

He said this to keep her trapped.

The change in her eyes, right before Terra moved toward Slade, wasn't lust. (That was why, earlier in the scene, I stated that her eyes were burning into his.) What she was doing was thanking him. It was less of a romantic kiss and more one of gratitude. But even so, Terra's vulnerability told Slade that she, at that moment, realized that she'd never wanted him in that way, anyway. It just took her until that moment to figure it out.

And now, I'm laughing because, while writing this scene, I thought of the fact that Slade's mask was on this entire time Terra leaned toward him. Man, he really cares . . . not!

And, at the end of the story, I reiterate that Slade only does things that help himself. He only does things that further his own plan. So, if getting Terra to trust him took this much work on his part, Slade willingly goes through this, because he will come out on the other side as the victor.

Though she might've believed differently, whatever else she thought herself to be to him was merely her own wild imagination. . . After all, she was nothing more than his apprentice . . .

Reiterating that Terra is nothing more than Slade's apprentice to him, just in case you thought otherwise. He was only using her emotions against her the entire time, hence the title: Pulling the Strings.

I liked writing this story, and I'll bet you liked reading it about half as much as I did writing it! ^.^


End file.
